The state of our country
In a country that loves its acronyms, POTUS delivered his first SOTU on Tuesday. Translation: The president of the United States delivered his first State of the Union address.
This is an annual show, staged by whoever is the current president, as an oral report card of how great he is doing his job and to point the finger of blame at those who are thwarting his efforts to be the country’s superhero.
President Donald John Trump spoke for an about an hour and a half about all the many accomplishments made since he has been in residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
He praised the American heroes who during the last year stepped up to help their neighbors and total strangers in times of emergency and danger. As bullets flew at a country music festival in Las Vegas, at school shootings and as bullets filled the pews at churches. These places, especially churches and schools, should be safe havens for our citizens.
He addressed the high costs of medical expenses, stating that identical prescription drugs sold to patients in other countries cost far less than in the United States. He said he has his administration investigating ways to fix this injustice.
He is advocating for experimental procedures that are sending desperately sick Americans that can afford it to foreign shores for treatment.
He promised to allocate the funds to repair and expand the country’s crumbling infrastructure.
All across the country roads, bridges and waterways are the victims of years of deferred maintenance and are crumbling. He did not articulate where the funding for these repairs were coming from but there are 56,000 bridges in the United States in need of repair. President Trump called for $1.5 trillion as the federal portion of the project. He also called for partnerships and alliances with states, local governments and private industry to match these funds for these projects, along with ways to speed up the repair process.
The example from the past he used took place relatively early in the last century.
On May 1, 1931, President Herbert Hoover dedicated the Empire State Building in Manhattan by switching on a ceremonial light switch in Washington, D.C. It took but 13 1/2 months from start to finish to build the 103-story building and its two observatories on the 86th and 102nd floors.
The president mocked current construction projects in the new millennium saying today it takes 10 years just to get a permit to build a road.
He praised the nation’s law enforcement community, local police, sheriff, state and federal branches for the dangers they face and the heroic manner in which they deport themselves.
He spoke of the desperate need to help lift our poor from welfare to workforce. He championed the need for vocational schools to provide the disenfranchised with the skills to earn a living wage. These services need to be available to also give former inmates a hearty second chance, with the goal to reduce recidivism.
His efforts to cut taxes for the working class and its families are being tested and he is quite proud of these efforts.
During his speech it was obvious that many of the Democrats did not approve of the points the president made and for the standing ovations he received. Cutaway shots of Nancy Pelosi and Bernie Saunders both looked like they were chewing on over ripe lemons.
As soon as the speech ended a very quick and disrespectful mass exodus by the Democratic members of congress told its own story. These sore losers illustrated the lack of bipartisan unity and support spoken about by President Trump. Can this mean he does not have and will not get the support of the minority party?
The Democrats want what is best for them and their special interest groups, not what is good for the country.
I am not naive enough to believe that looking out for us little people is high on the president’s to do list.
But he is trying to keep his campaign promises to make America Great Again. Many of the Republicans are doing what they can to help support him.
Too few Democrats seem unwilling to assist the president in his quest to improve America.
It makes me ashamed of my party.
When I have an important project in the works my mantra to those around me is lead, follow or get out of my way. President Trump deserves this same assistance from both houses of Congress.
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Have a great weekend.
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Readers can contact Tami Jo Nix by emailingtamijonix@gmail.com or following @TamiJoNix on Twitter
